Dawid Malan is set for a landmark winter in England colours, believes Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale.
Malan was yesterday named in England’s 15-man squad for next month’s T20 World Cup in the UAE and will hope to further cement his place in their Test team in the fifth Test against India at Emirates Old Trafford today.
Gale has been speaking about the development of the left-handed batsman and how his international performances may affect Yorkshire’s recruitment plans this winter.
The coach has revealed he will not be adding any domestic signings to his squad following the promise showed by many young players during the recent Royal London Cup. But he could be tempted into the overseas market to go alongside Duanne Olivier’s return to Emerald Headingley.
“The Twenty20 World Cup and then the Ashes, it will probably define Mala’s career with England,” said Gale.
“Selfishly we’d love to see more of him, but he signed with clear aspirations of playing for England in all formats, Ultimately, we’re here to facilitate that.
“We want players to show ambition and go on and play for England. It’s brilliant to see that.”
Malan has returned to England’s Test team this summer and looks set to tour Australia this winter for the Ashes, a series he last played in in 2017/2018.
He scored a century in the Perth Test before slipping out of contention the following summer.
“I think he’s a lot more mature and better equipped to deal with the pressure of Test cricket now,” said Gale.
“You see that a lot with players who come out of the system and then go back in. They are a lot more equipped to deal with it. They know what to expect.
“Technically, he’s probably a similar player. I’d just say he knows his game better.”
Malan was named in England’s T20 World Cup squad for the UAE next month alongside Yorkshire team-mates Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid and David Willey.
The selection of Willey is particularly pleasing following his late omission from the one-day World Cup squad in 2019. The way he has responded to that hammer blow has been exceptional, both in county and international cricket.
Willey and Malan were just two Hundred enforced absentees for Yorkshire during the Royal London Cup in late July and through August.
Gale was also absent as coach when the Vikings qualified through to the effective quarter-final stage of the competition as the youngsters thrived.
Harry Duke, George Hill, new England Under 19 international Will Luxton, Matthew Revis and Josh Sullivan all impressed, while more experienced homegrown players such as Will Fraine, Jonny Tattersall and Matthew Waite showed they are all capable of stepping up to more regular first-team cricket.
Gale, who watched the RL50 from afar with Rich Pyrah in charge, and the rest of the White Rose hierarchy opted not to pursue the permanent signing of batsman Sam Northeast earlier this summer following a short loan spell.
And the RL50 performances justified that decision in many ways.
“Sam Northeast is a great player, don’t get me wrong,” said Gale. “But I don’t want to block the path of these young lads coming through.
“You have to be careful because you want to win now, but you also don’t want to be too short-term and block the path of the likes of Hill, Revis and Luxton.
“They might not be ready next year, it might be the year after. But we certainly think we’ve got some good cricketers on our hands.
“I’m pretty happy with the squad we’ve got.
“We’ll have to see how the winter goes and also what happens with Dawid. We might not see him again or he could be back full-time, you just don’t know.
“We might sign another overseas player, we might not. But I’d love for these lads to do the job.
“You always think you have 17 or 18 players who can play first-class cricket, but I’d say that competition means we have 21 or 22 lads who can. The young lads got opportunities and put their hands up – they took that chance.
“I watched a lot of the games from distance, and it was really pleasing to see.
“It goes to show all the work the support staff have done with those young kids, the hours spent in the East Stand on the cold nights in the winter. When young lads step up, it’s brilliant to see.
“As a club, we pride ourselves on bringing these lads through and giving them opportunities. It’s pleasing to say our own model – bringing them through, giving them opportunity, working hard with them – is paying off.
“We’ve got a squad here who can compete for a number of years.”